Congress passes spending deal, bids to avert gov’t shutdown

The bill did not address President Trump’s long-promised border wall with Mexico. GOP leaders prefer to resolve the issue after the Nov. elections.

The bill did not address President Trump’s long-promised border wall with Mexico. GOP leaders prefer to resolve the issue after the Nov. elections.

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press

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The bill did not address President Trump’s long-promised border wall with Mexico. GOP leaders prefer to resolve the issue after the Nov. elections.

The bill did not address President Trump’s long-promised border wall with Mexico. GOP leaders prefer to resolve the issue after the Nov. elections.

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press

Congress passes spending deal, bids to avert gov’t shutdown

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WASHINGTON — As a potentially catastrophic hurricane takes aim at the Carolinas, Congress is trying to head off a legislative disaster that could lead to a partial government shutdown weeks before the November elections.

The House on Thursday approved a $147 billion package to fund the Energy Department, veterans’ programs and the legislative branch. It came a day after the Senate passed the measure. The bill now goes to White House, where President Trump is expected to sign it.

The 377-20 vote in the House came as legislative leaders also announced an agreement on a bill to fund the rest of the government through Dec. 7. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the short-term plan would be added to a separate spending bill that lawmakers are negotiating to cover the Defense Department and labor, health and education programs.

The stopgap bill would not address Trump’s long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. GOP leaders have said they prefer to resolve the issue after the Nov. 6 elections.

It was not clear whether Trump would back this approach, but a GOP aide said the White House had not indicated any opposition.

The bill approved Thursday was the first of three spending measures Congress hopes to approve this month to avoid a government shutdown when the new budget year begins Oct. 1.

Passage of the bill was so important to Republican leaders that they moved up the Senate vote, citing the threat of Hurricane Florence bearing down on the southeast coast. The House and Senate both adjourned for the week immediately following the budget votes.

Approval of the spending bill was a marked departure from recent years, when Congress routinely ignored agency-specific spending measures in favor of massive packages that funded the entire government at once.